Senin, 23 Mei 2011

There's a gospel song, "Just a Little Walk With Jesus", upbeat and reassuring. I particularly like it because when our choir sang it there was a need for more men in the group and Ed actually took up being a choir member for awhile. He claims he merely mouthed the words, uttering no musical notes whatsoever. That's fine, true or not. He had fun and had the spirit.

I received a smack in the back of my head today which made me think of this song. Since Oprah is leaving her show I guess I could give her a plug and say it was an ah-HA moment. In between chores I opted to go outside and check to see if the mail was here. Getting the mail still has the childhood excitement attached to it even if it consists of bills and junk mail. You just never know what might be in that box at the end of the driveway! This small errand is always dangerous as I typically see things growing that should be yanked from the ground. Today was no exception; there were weeds. And I gave in to the urge to remove some.

Pull, pull, pull - maybe I moved along about 15 ft., face down, selectively taking out the big ones and mentally noting that weeding needs to go on tomorrow's to-do list. I got to the area by the wonderful willow tree we are fortunate to have and I heard a rustling noise. No one spoke to me but someone clearly I was not alone. I thought there might be a stray dog roaming or feral cat out and about. I looked up.

There was Clover! Yes, of course, a named critter now! This young deer was no more than 7 feet away from me, across the creek bed. He acted as if it was natural for both of us to be sharing that space. I had my cell phone and thought I'd take a couple of shots and that would scare him off. I did. He stayed.

Long story short, he seems a bit of a poser! Knowing the phone never does the job of a real camera it dawned on me I might be able to call Ed. He got my regular camera and brought it out to me. His expression when he saw Clover was one to treasure! He went to his car for his camera and took photos too but I can't get them off his camera so you're seeing mine. Clover followed me around the yard, happily and without any concern, sampling weeds, hosta leaves, camera straps, red bud tree leaves, grass, and clover. The clover I offered him and he took from my hand. In fact he came up and actually licked my nose then nibbled on it. ﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

Clover by the creekbed

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Clover approaches the front door

﻿﻿﻿ At one point he even settled down alongside the creek bed to give me a chance to realize my good fortune and enjoy his company.

I thought he was going to try to come into the house for he followed me down the driveway and up the sidewalk. It was in taking the final shots that I realized I was looking at one of God's creatures and seeing Him there.

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Max

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It's been a rough week and a half, having put our Molly (cat) to sleep, the thrill of finding Max as a companion for my very best friend and later finding he was so sick he had to be put to sleep also, learning that in two days, one of my client dogs, Daisy, will be put to sleep. Friday edit: Daisy is alive!!!! Her wonderful owner took her off meds and put her on a homeopathic treatment which has Daisy up and around and doing fine! WoooHOOOO. She's thin but lively and for now winning her battle with Cushing's Disease! I walked in today and THERE SHE WAS!

Then there are the storms and tornadoes. Luckily friends are OK in MN and MO both. They will face knowing others who deal with closer tragedies. And I was having a bit of a pity party, feeling sad from the on-rush of sorrowful events and losses.﻿﻿﻿﻿

No one knows why things happen as they do. It's the mysteries of life, the pluses and minuses, the balance God creates. Today he brought me to Clover and for 30-45 minutes I was able to take Just a Little Walk With Jesus. And, as you can see in this last photo of Clover, He talked to me.

Selasa, 10 Mei 2011

We ventured out to Lincoln, IL last week, to meet people who were bringing pet supplies for our favorite rescue group. Thank you! We are so dependent upon the kindness of strangers.

Before we left for Lincoln we figured out we could go to The Blue Dog Inn*, established 1979, for a bite. Get it? A dog place? A bite? Ha. Dark humor. So we managed to combine good deed and good food. Walking from the car to the Inn though we came upon a sight to behold.

You may see that in taking this shot I happened to cut off Mr. Lincoln's face but surely you recognize the hair, ears and chin. Ignore that though and take note that a giant string ball has given birth to a baby string ball! We were amazed to see that as we didn't even know there was one "in the oven" so to speak! Given their natural shape it is often hard to tell if they are expecting a wee one. I wish it was clearer just how big momma is - don't compare her to the old timie oil lamp, it's too close to where I stood - use the wine bottle on the other side of Abe (I doubt it was his).

So, another happy occasion was marked and I just had to share it with faithful readers. Rather than string this out I'll just wrap it up and tie it off.

*Please note, although The Blue Dog Inn has plenty of artwork depicting dogs, often photos of the dogs belonging to friends of the original owner, there is not artwork by the famous NO area Blue Dog painter, George R. You'd have to come to my house to see that, or a gallery. As I recall, George went after the person who copied his work onto restaurant walls elsewhere.

Kamis, 05 Mei 2011

Dr. Seuss smartly chose the title OH THE PLACES YOU'LL GO for one of his later-in-life books. Initially written as a "children's" book (really?) it is a send-off to a shift in life's circumstances. I find it fitting for retirement, especially retirement work which I can hardly call work, but it is. Although I enjoyed most days of my underage employment, as a meandering individual I now have time to explore and observe more than ever!

Thus it was that on a recent visit to meet a new 3 month old resident at a home also housing a 7 month old I came upon another, albeit, unannounced resident. My mission was to play/exercise the pups. In other words, make certain they attended to outside "duties" and were sufficiently exhausted when they went back inside. I had my camera with me for I envisioned a great time would be had by all and that I'd capture moments of their exuberance. True enough.

The older pup and I tried to teach the young one about chasing a ball but she was interested only in sticks and other odds and ends that could be carted around proudly, as if she were put on this earth to make this particular discovery. It seemed inevitable they were going to romp and I was going to romp along with them. In so doing my attention turned towards the fenced in, covered pool.

There sat The DuckHis head he did tuckUnder a wingHave you seen such a thing?

Evenutally he realized I was very interested in him and he pulled his head out and re-arranged himself to pose for photos, including taking a dip in the pool cover, not the pool, but the cover which had enough rain in it to make for a nice float area. He was very accommodating!

Coincidentally while walking and philosophizing with another young poocheroo I spied a family of geese and still had the camera with me. I showed them to "B" and he was most engaged but not eager to get in the lake and draw them closer. Perhaps he'd been warned about getting his freshly groomed coat dirty; he's awfully tidy! We were lucky enough to hold our position on the bridge, and then later in his backyard, while the folks took the youngsters out for a swim. I clicked away.

Some days I'm not particularly proud of what I talk to the dogs about while we're walking and getting our exercise. They are great listeners even though I do get some feedback, such as "Just let it go.", "Oh, this again," and so forth. Some days I am certain I don't see everything God puts before me, whether I'm alone, with a walking buddy, or in a mass of people. But then there are days such as this one, when I go places and I see things I am supposed to see and count my blessings for having made it this far, with miles still to travel.

Come along, maybe not with me specifically, but with what life has to offer. "You'll be on your way up! / You'll be seeing great sights! / You'll join the high fliers / who soar to high heights." Dr. Seuss, with his inimitable illustrations and exhilarating rhymes, reveals, at a level we all understand, that true success is imminent. As long as you remember "to be dexterous and deft. And NEVER mix up your right foot with your left"

Minggu, 01 Mei 2011

Today, we met with Lesley and David to see a couple of Zoey's puppies. They are still so cute. K2 is Lesley's next show potential and Mick (formerly Mac) is looking for his forever home. Mick is staying with Team Beagle for a couple of weeks for some tricks training - he already knows sit, working on spin, twirl, rollover and beg. Mick loves to play fetch and he even brings it back to you - pretty smart puppy!

Here's Mick (Starbuck Torbay McKinley)

Here's K2 (Starbuck Torbay Blue Chip Stock)

If you are interested in making Mick a new member of your family, please contact Lesley Hiltz at lhiltz@earthlink.net